


The Knight and The Heir

by SkyFireForever



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Genderqueer Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Magic, Multi, Other, Queer Themes, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 15:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18167081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: Ali Lake never asked to be the bastard of the King. They never wanted it.They were perfectly happy pretending that they simply had no father to speak of.It wasn't as if it impacted their life terribly. The only difference it made was the townspeople accusing their mother of being a whore and the small amount of coin that the King's messenger brought each month in exchange for their silence.Ali was perfectly content with living life as nothing more than a peasant and they expected that would be all they ever were.That is, until all of the King's legitimate children were either killed or kidnapped, leaving no heir to the throne. As the King grows more feeble in his old age, an heir is necessary for the survival of the kingdom.Which is how Ali is brought to the castle against their will and is expected to learn the ways of royalty.Ali never wanted to rule a kingdom. They never wanted this, but now they have no choice. They've already decided that nothing in this castle could make it worth staying,Nothing, that is, besides a knight in training with an eye-patch and a bad attitude, who might just be willing to set the whole system ablaze.





	1. Kindling

Ali Lake was perfectly normal as far as they were concerned. They were entirely ordinary, living in a small, ordinary village with insignificant, ordinary people. They lived in an ordinary, if rather poorly up-kept shack with their mother, who they thought was so far from ordinary. To Ali, their mother was the one extraordinary thing in their life. She was kind hearted, funny, hardworking, and perfect in every way. It couldn’t have been easy, raising Ali all on her own. Ali was certain that she was some kind of magical being with powers rivaling the strongest of mages. Their mother was all that Ali had.

They woke up in their ordinary bed, ready for another ordinary day. They yawned, stretching their arms out behind them before rolling their wrists in tiny circles. They never seemed to have any feeling in their hands after waking from a night’s rest. That was ordinary for them. They brushed their dark hair from their face, taking great care to braid it over their shoulder in the way that they liked. They changed into the ordinary browns of their daytime clothes before quickly splashing water against their face to clean it. They made their way to their mother’s bed, the two of them sharing their one-room hut. Their mother had recently become ill, much to Ali’s concern.

“Are you feeling any better, Mama?” They sat on the edge of their mother’s bed, watching her in concern. They pressed their wrist to her forehead. “Your fever is going down.” They noted with some relief. “Hopefully it will break by nightfall.” They retrieved a filthy rag from the floor, soaking it in the water basin before pressing it to their mother’s burning forehead. “As long as you aren’t put under any stress.”

Their mother rolled her dark eyes and shook her head weakly. “I feel fine.” She insisted, straining her voice just to lie to her child. “A little illness can’t keep me down for long.” She made an attempt to sit up, as if to prove her point, but Ali placed their hands on her arms.

“You’ll be up sooner if you rest.” They said pointedly, fixing their mother with a warning glance. She needed to rest. “I’ll take care of the chores, as I have been. You need at least another two days of bed-rest.” They wiped their hands on the front of their shirt. “There’s no getting out of it, so please just actually rest.”

“Oh, since when did you become my mother?” The woman called after Ali as they began tidying up the house. Her tone was playful; however, and she was so proud that her child was ready and willing to accept responsibility. They may act childish at times, but it was obvious how mature they could be.

Ali cleaned their ordinary house before cooking an ordinary breakfast for themself and their mother. They ate an ordinary meal together before Ali went on with their ordinary chores. It was an ordinary day. Everything about it was just so very ordinary. That was exactly what Ali liked about it. They were happy with their completely ordinary life in a completely ordinary village with completely ordinary people. That was the sort of ordinary life that ordinary people ordinarily lived.

They managed to finish their chores earlier than necessary, collapsing in their bed after a hard day’s work. They allowed themself a few short breaths before sitting up. “Mama, will you be alright if I go to the lake?” They asked, turning their head towards their mother’s bed.

“I’ll be fine, dear.” Their mother insisted, waving her child off. “I feel as healthy as the day I was born.” Ali didn’t believe that for a moment, but it was enough to make them smile. “Honestly, darling, I’ll be alright if you go have fun for a time.”

“Alright.” Ali swung their legs over the side of their bed before standing. “I’ll be back before nightfall.” They promised, slipping out the front door of their small hut and starting down the dirt road. They walked through the town, humming to themself as they allowed their arms to swing by their sides. They made it past the well in the middle of town before hearing their name be called out a ways behind them.

“Ali!” They turned around to see a young girl hurrying towards them. They rolled their eyes and considered just continuing on their journey, but they decided that they couldn’t exactly pretend not to have heard. They waited for the girl to catch up, breathing heavily and sweating. “Hi!” She chirped up at them, a wide smile across her face. “Hi, Ali!”

“Hello, Myriam.” They greeted dryly, arms crossed against their chest. They didn’t like Myriam, as they had made clear on multiple occasions. Yet, the girl still insisted on bothering them at every opportunity.

Myriam was quite a few years younger than Ali - still a child - and she behaved even younger than she was. Her naivety and gullibility would have been endearing if Ali didn’t find it so obnoxious. Everything about her was just annoying to the older person, from her dark pigtails to her perfect, pale skin, all the way to her bright, blue eyes and ruby red lips. She appeared very much to match every picture of a princess drawn in a book of fairy-tales.

“How are you?” She asked,clasping her hands out in front of her and rocking on her heels. “It’s such a pretty day.”

Ali fought back the urge to roll their eyes in front of the child. “I’m fine.” They hoped that she would get the hint to get lost; of course, Ali wasn’t that lucky.

“Fine is better than not fine!” Myriam smiled and Ali could have sworn that they heard birds begin to chirp somewhere in the distance. “It’s a lovely day for a walk! Maybe I can walk with you?”

“I’m meeting with someone else.” Ali stated, wanting to be rid of the girl. “Sorry.” They weren’t sorry at all.

“Oh.” The child deflated slightly. “Okay.” She mumbled, her sadness lasting only a moment. “Maybe later?” She requested, a cheerful expression having returned to her face. It was so obvious that she didn’t have any actual friends, so she chose to pester Ali instead. It was honestly kind of pathetic.

“Maybe.” Ali said, having no intention of seeking Myriam out. They turned around to continue on their way, ready to leave the younger girl behind. What they weren’t expecting was the question she shouted after them.

“Have you heard from your father?”

Ali stiffened, stopping in their tracks. Their hands balled into fists by their sides and their teeth ground together. They hated hearing about their father under any circumstances. Just hearing about him was enough to set Ali’s temper ablaze. They spun around, dark eyes blazing.

“No.” Their tone made Myriam shrink in on herself. “Goodbye.” They turned on heel and marched in the direction of the lake, seething. How dare she bring up their father? Everyone in the village was aware of exactly who Ali’s father was and were aware that they had never had any experience with the man. The people of the village saw Ali’s heritage as making them extraordinary. Ali didn’t see where they got that idea.

There was nothing extraordinary about the royal family visiting smaller villages to raise public opinion. There was nothing extraordinary about men in power feeling entitled to whatever they wanted. There was nothing extraordinary about a wealthy man fooling around with a poor woman and then refusing responsibility. Ali was nothing extraordinary. They were just the bastard child of some king they had never even met. That wasn’t all that extraordinary.

The only extraordinary thing about it was how people blew the entire situation out of proportion. It was extraordinary that people called Ali’s mother a whore for sleeping with one person in her entire life just because that one person happened to be wealthy and happened to be married and happened to get her pregnant. It was extraordinary how Ali was reduced to the title of “bastard” due to factors they couldn’t control. It was extraordinary how the King was so terrified for his reputation that he sent a messenger once a year with a small pouch of coins just to keep Ali’s mother quiet about the entire situation. The situation itself was ordinary, it just didn’t make sense that so many treated it like it wasn’t.

Ali pushed their way through the trees of the woods, forcing their way to a large clearing with a lake resting in the middle. This was Ali’s favorite place in the world to just rest whenever they could. Most people didn’t know about it, so they knew that they would have their time of solitude. They sat on the bank, dipping their feet into the cool water and closing their eyes. This was exactly what they needed. They attempted to will away the thoughts of their father and of Myriam and of everything else. They just wanted to relax with the time that they had.

“Rough day?” A voice came from behind them, causing their eyes to snap open. They turned their head to see a man resting atop a tree limb, a lazy smile stretched across his face. His dark eyes were lidded and yet peered curiously at Ali. He yawned and stretched, the brown and white cat ears twitching atop his head. “You seem stressed.”

Ali shrugged, relaxing once they recognized their friend. “Myriam was just being annoying, that’s all.” They explained, unbraiding their hair. “It’s nothing I want to worry about at the moment.”

The boy nodded, laying across the tree limb on his back. “I see.” His tail hung off the edge of the limb, lazily swinging back and forth. “Well, she’s not here now.”

“Great observation, Lincoln.” Ali said sarcastically, playfully splashing some water at him, causing him to hiss. They smirked to themself, feeling pleased with how they frustrated him.

“I was just trying to be helpful.” Lincoln insisted, a scowl across his face. “You have no reason to punish me for it.”

“I have every reason.” Ali stuck their tongue out at him teasingly. “You’re annoying.”

“I am not!” He sounded offended.

“Except that you are.”

“Then why do you keep me around?”

“You live here.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to keep coming.”

Ali shrugged, playing with the water between their toes. “I like it here.” They admitted, running their fingers through their brown hair, allowing the strands to slip through their fingers. “It’s peaceful.”

“It’s private.” Lincoln pointed out, sitting up so that his legs were dangling over the limb. “You can practice without anyone seeing, that’s why you like it.”

“Well, that too.” Ali admitted with a grin. They looked down at their hand, snapping their fingers. When nothing happened, they tried again. They sighed at the lack of results, closing their eyes and focusing on their breathing. They felt the heat in their stomach, a pleasant, warm feeling that spread up along the path of their veins. They felt it warm their stomach, their face, their arms, until it settled in their fingers. Their eyes flew open and they snapped, a tiny flame appearing at their fingertips. They smirked, uncurling their fist and watching the flame dance around in their palm.

Lincoln hummed, the reflection of the flame flicking in his eyes. “You, my friend, are extraordinary.”

And maybe, in that way, they were. 


	2. Striking a Match

Ali was at home under the water; they could lose themself there like they couldn’t anywhere else. All sounds were muted, thoughts distant, and all that could be felt was the steady drift of the waves. It was so quiet and calm. They had always loved swimming, ever since they were young. Their mother used to take them to the lake and teach them to swim. It was some of the fondest memories Ali had. They enjoyed any time spent with their mother.

They dove beneath the surface, kicking their legs and pushing their way through to the bottom of the lake. They allowed the tips of their toes to touch the pebbled and sandy bottom before pushing off, propelling them upwards the breach the surface with a large burst of water around them. They gulped in the fresh air, blinking the water from their eyes. They glanced up at the sky, catching the shadows that indicated that the sun was setting. “Shoot.” They swam to shore, quickly throwing on their overclothes.

“Going so soon?” Lincoln yawned, cracking open an eye from where he was leaning against a rock. “You just got here.”

“That’s objectively untrue.” Ali pointed out, ringing the water from their hair. “I’ll see you probably tomorrow.” They assured their friend before dashing away from the clearing barefoot. They didn’t want to keep their mother waiting; they knew that she would grow worried. They ran against the road, the dirt still warm from the sun beating down on it throughout the day. It felt nice against the bottom of their calloused feet, still wet from the lake. They were in a race against the sun, hair flying behind them as they bolted, kicking up a trail of dirt behind them. They were a comet, flying through the air as their feet barely touched the ground. They closed their eyes, a grin stretched across their face as the blew through the town.

They reached their hut in no time at all, stopping in front of their door. Their chest rose and fell with their heavy breaths, eyes narrowing as they noticed a familiar carriage before their house. They frowned, studying the clean, white horses and the pristine carriage that accompanied them, lavishly decorated with silver and gold. It was clearly expensive and not dissimilar to the one traveled in by the messenger who brought Ali and their mother the small pouch of gold each year. The messenger wasn’t due back for several months; however.

Ali pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Mama, why is-” They froze in their tracks, seeing two heavily armed women dressed in expensive-looking, thick armor. They felt their blood freeze in their veins as their eyes darted between the women. They felt warmth in their stomach rising from the fear. Their palms began to heat and they quickly threw their arms behind their back, not wanting to risk revealing themself as a mage in front of two guards. They would only use their powers if they threatened their mother. They focused on their breathing, trying to will themself to cool down.

“Ali Lake?” One of the women turned towards them, inclining her head in their direction. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” The first thing that struck Ali about the woman was her silver eyes and the way they stood out against her dark skin. They appeared to almost glow.

Ali took a step back. “Yes, and who are you?” They questioned, trying to ignore the panic coursing through them. They willed themself to summon a controlled flame into their palm, with no success.

“We are here on behalf of the King.” The woman with the silver eyes said. “My name is Beatrix Blietz.” She introduced herself, head still inclined in Ali’s direction. “You may address me as Blietz.”

“What does the King want?” Ali demanded, not removing their gaze from the woman’s face. “We have done all that he asked of us. His precious secret is safe, I’m not demanding the throne, I want nothing from him.”

“But he requires something from you.” Blietz stated, back straight and eyes cold.

“What?” Ali nearly choked on their saliva. The King wanted something from them? The King was the King, they didn’t need anything from anyone, especially not some ordinary little peasant like Ali. They snorted, unable to help themself from laughing. “I’m pretty sure that the last person he needs help from is me. The guy hates my very existence.”

“Ali.” Their head snapped in the direction of their mother, who was sitting up in her bed. They approached her, all fire and anger disappearing in an instant. “Ali, sit.” She gestured for them to sit beside her on her bed, which they did. “Just listen to them.”

Ali hesitated before nodding, unable to deny their mother anything. They turned their attention back to Blietz. “I’m listening.” They said coldly, clutching their mother’s hand.

Blietz sighed and gave a short nod. “Thank you.” She was unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice. “I do not know how quickly news travels to here, but there has been an attack on the capital.” She explained calmly. “The King’s oldest son is currently in the army and it is unclear if he is alive. He can not be reached.” Ali cast a glance at their mother, heart sinking. “During the attack at the capital, one of the King’s other sons was killed. The rest of his children were kidnapped. It is unclear if they are alive. No demand for ransom has been made.”

Ali allowed the information to settle in. The royal family had been taken hostage or were killed. That put the kingdom in a dangerous position. “What does this has to do with me?” They looked up, brown eyes meeting silver.

“The King is without an heir.” Blietz said, a knowing look in her eyes. “The kingdom can not be left without an heir and all of the King’s illegitimate children are unable to fulfill that role.”

It hit them all at once. “You want me to serve as an heir to the throne?” They asked, eyes wide. “No, no way.” They insisted. “I’m a bastard, remember? I’m ordinary. There’s no way that I could possibly-”

“You will be trained.” Blietz stated, grip on her sword appearing suddenly more threatening. “You will be taught all the rules, ceremonies, and everything you might need to know to rule.”

Ali shook their head, unable to believe what they were hearing. “No, I can’t.” They protested. “There’s no way that I can. I don’t even want to!”

“I fear that you have no choice.” Blietz did actually sound apologetic. “I am to take you to the capital either as a volunteer or as a prisoner.”

“So, you’ll arrest me if I don’t go with you?” Ali felt the fire instead of them ignite, eyes burning with anger. “If you arrest me, how are you going to have your precious heir?” They challenged, feeling their palms burning with unreleased energy. They wanted nothing more than to shoot fire at this woman and burn her permanently.

Blietz sighed, noticing the heat rising in the air. Her eyes flicked to Ali’s hands, her own hand tightening around the hilt of her sword. “You will be arrested, yes. You will be held prisoner until you change your mind.” She explained, tone still calm and even. “All money and assistance provided for your mother will disappear.”

That caused Ali to stop in their tracks. They didn’t care what happened to them, but their mother needed the money that the King provided. She also needed Ali’s help with the hut and with chores. They couldn’t just leave her. They turned to their mother, eyes wide. They were met with only sympathy and understanding.

“You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to.” She assured, squeezing their hand. “I’ll be fine.”

Ali shook their head before turning to Blietz. “She needs me here.” They insisted. “She’s sick and she needs help with chores. If I leave, she won’t be any better off than she would be if I was arrested.”

“Help can be arranged.” Blietz assured, studying Ali closely. “We can have medicine and money sent, along with workers who can do her work for her.” She watched Ali carefully, searching for a sign that they were breaking. “If you come willingly, your mother will want for nothing.” There was a tense moment of hesitation. “We will leave you to discuss your decision.” She exited the house with the other woman, leaving Ali alone with their mother.

Ali turned towards their mother. “I have to go.” They said quickly, taking both of her hands in their own. “They can help you.”

She shook her head. “Ali, you must not do anything that you do not agree with.” She insisted. “You are my child and all I want is for you to be happy.” She reached up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind Ali’s ear. “If you will not be happy serving as the heir, I do not wish that for you.”

“It doesn’t matter what I want.” Ali murmured quickly, feeling tears threaten to spill over. “What matters is that you’re safe and happy.”

“I will never be happy if you are miserable.”

“It won’t be that bad.” Ali tried to look on the bright side. “I’ll be living in a castle, have servants waiting on my every word. I’ll be living as royalty.” Even as they said it, it didn’t sound appealing. “Will you be happier if I end up in prison?”

She hesitated before shaking her head. “I would not.” She admitted. “I would be so worried for you.”

Ali nodded, closing their eyes. “Exactly.” They breathed, kissing their mother’s head. They stayed with her, several words being exchanged between them before the women returned.

“Have you made your decision?” Blietz asked, looking between the two of them.

“Yes.” Ali stood up, wiping the tears from their cheeks. “I’m going with you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are the best things that could happen to me

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please, please leave comments! I'm so excited for this work and want to see what people think of it! Anything at all helps!


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